Within Tian Ma's Chamber of war– 

"My lord," A tall, lean man said respectfully. "This humble vassal presents himself in front of the supreme general as he was told."

"Cheng Mao," Tian Ma, the god of war, said and stroked his beard, looking at his trusted subordinate carefully. "I have a mission for you."

The young man who was named Cheng Mao had been burned by the yellow star in the sky since birth, which in turn added to his fairly dark-toned skin. His brown eyes twinkled with determination and confidence as he was squatted down on one knee – The standard greeting of a superior. The young man was, in fact, the commander-in-chief of the holy emperor's guard force. It was a rare occurrence to see him, who was famous throughout the kingdom for his battle prowess, 'this' humble with someone else. However, it wasn't that strange, though, considering the position of the man he spoke with–  the invincible god of war and the supreme general of the holy army, Tian Ma!

"Anything for you, my lord," he replied. "This vassal's life will forever be in your hands."

"I know, that's why this mission can only be given to you." Tian Ma explained. A gleam of appreciation seen in his eyes that were, however, completely serious. "Yet, I must warn you, Cheng Mao, I fear this mission will be unlike one you've ever been assigned, boasting of an untold danger and high risk of death.

"Do you still accept?"

He nodded. "Of course, my answer will not change, my Lord."

"Very well." Tian Ma acknowledged, flashing the sleeves of his robe. A parchment scroll with jade handles appeared in his hands. He gave it to Cheng Mao.

"This is..." the young man said in disbelief after reading its contents. "...is this true? They are rising once again?"

"Yes, there's no need to doubt, I'm sure of it." the war god nodded solemnly and gave him an emblem that depicted two axes. "During this mission, I will bestow upon you the earth dragon, my personal mount. Find the Keeper, tell him you are to pick it up under my orders. He will lead the way and help you get the beast under control. Show the emblem to my dragon, only then will it obey. You have until noon to prepare before you must meet up with the rest of the party at the southeastern gate."

"Yes, my Lord!" he shot up to his feet and performed a deep bow. "I will complete this mission without failure!"

He held the emblem, clenching within his right fist, and strode out from the chamber. His eyes were glistening with anticipation. As he left through the door, he heard Tian Ma's voice echo in his ears. "Tell your friends goodbye before you leave. After all, you will disappear for a long time. Cheng Mao, I will await the good news!"

Cheng Mao left. As he stood outside the chamber, his body started to radiate bloodlust, and within his eyes, a fire was growing, one that he had thought to have extinguished long ago. I can finally have revenge for what those monsters did to you... I promise you, sister, those monsters will suffer!

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

...

Just outside the Eternal Palace– 

Juan Xi followed Horwin through the golden gate and into the cave, which, was remarkably mundane opposed to the endless city, or the Eternal Palace that was encircled by it. The tunnel was similar to those mining shafts built by the grown-ups of his old village, in which they later stored food and other proviant for the winter year.

Soon, after five minutes or so, Horwin and Juan Xi came out from the tunnel.

Arghh!– the little boy groaned as the white landscape blinded him.

This is... the heavenly stables? They were standing on a mountain peak, gazing out. It was truly a magnificent view; the circling mist, and the snow-tipped mountain crowns that stood out like kings of their realm! Adding to the dozen of wizened, thin-branched bridges that connected peak to peak, this place seemed like an entirely different world than the one below; one that was carved out in a master painting. Juan Xi was very moved. How come this is called a stable? This is too big for a stable!

Horwin turned to him, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, then saying. "Look, after we enter these peaks, you must be neither arrogant nor scornful; don't think of these mounts and magical creatures as mere animals– they have sentiment, and some of them are even more intelligent than humans! I can speak from my own experience; I've seen several people getting killed when these proud creatures discovered how they were looked upon. Don't make mistakes you will later regret, Juan Xi!"

"I understand. I will humble and respectful," Juan Xi replied. "You have my word, sir."

Don't worry, old man; I won't risk this new life that easily.

Horwin nodded back. "Well, I hope you stick to that. For your own sake."

"Before you will follow me to take a look at the newly captured three-eyed monkey, I'll shortly tell you how this place works," Horwin took something out from the pocket of his leather tunic he spoke. "We have sixteen mountain peaks, and there are ten slots for creatures in each one. These cells are designed for the sixteen immortals that hold the position of God or Goddess. I have no time to teach you every duty the disciple of the keeper of steeds' has, so you'll have to learn by yourself as time passes."

"Here, take this."

The old man handed him a blue, soft bag. It was the size of a fist.

Juan Xi looked at Horwin like a question mark. What is this for? What can such a small bag possibly hold? A snack?

"Don't look at it like that," Horwin said, laughing, pointing at the blue bag."That's a sack of unlimited storage, an artifact crafted by the god of craftmanship– Hou Man! Anything you place in there can be stored forever without decaying. Of course, you can't actually bring humans into it. The sack has about two-hundred meters of cubic space, an item you will need when transporting food from the Eternal Palace to the Heavenly Stables. Take good care of it, I will have your head flying if you lose it!

"Yes, sir!" Juan Xi said in response, his heart beating faster than normal. I'll definitely check this out later! To be created by an immortal god, this item must surely be valuable! Those people back in the village would be struck with awe if they saw me with this item in my hands!

"Now come, let's go see that monkey." the old man said and stepped upon one of the bridges, disappearing into the mist.

Jian Xi rolled his eyes. Why does he never wait for me?